Corner Brook’s Cody Jacobs named co-winner of YBC 2018 male bowler of the year

Cody Jacobs poses with his trophy for YBC NL’s male bowler of the year on Tuesday night. - Chris Quigley

CORNER BROOK, N.L. —

According to Cody Jacobs’ grandmother, the 11-year-old “would rather bowl than eat.”

It’s that hunger for competition that has kept Jacobs on the lanes habitually since he was just four years old.

His father, Ray Frampton, was a top notch bowler himself as a kid, and that served as a lot of Jacobs’ inspiration for getting into the game.

“I just tried it and now it’s my favourite sport,” said Jacobs, who lives with his grandparents Sharon and Terry Delaney in the Curling area of the city.

The tournaments and the travelling are what he enjoys most about the sport, having gone as far as Regina, Sask. last year for Youth Bowling Council (YBC) nationals.

Though bowling has come fairly naturally to him, he admits learning the ropes wasn’t always easy.

“Definitely getting the form down perfect,” he says is the most difficult part of the game.

On Saturday, awards for the 2018 calendar year were announced, and Jacobs was co-winner of the youth male bowler of the year for the province. Kyle Slade of Conception Bay South shared the award with him.

“I was surprised and very happy,” Jacobs said of the honour, which he didn’t know he was receiving until the moment it was actually announced.

A trip to the nationals wasn’t in the cards for Jacobs this year, as they came up just short at provincials, so he’ll settle for the odd leisurely game at the Corner Brook Centre Bowl until it’s time to put his game face on again and get back to competitive play.

“I’ve got to wait until next year,” he says. “Then I’ll go at it again.”